After returning from a road trip with head coach Vinny Del Negro on paper-thin ice, the L.A. Clippers won three straight home games by double digits to give their embattled head coach a stay of execution. Friday night's game at Staples Center (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) against the Trail Tankers is likely to stretch that to four, and the remaining schedule offers enough other breaks that L.A. should cruise into the playoffs as a No. 4 or No. 5 seed.